Műemlék lakóházak (Az Egri Nyári Egyetem előadásai 1994 Eger, 1994)

GAVRIEL KERTÉSZ: The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Residential Heritage in Israel

THE RESTORATION AND REHABILITATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL HERITAGE IN ISRAEL Abstrus of lecture to be presented at the Eger Seminar, June 21, 1994 1. Sources of Israel's residential architecture 1.01 Regional Sources Similar to the development in other countries, local environmental conditions, the structure of the family core, and the need to feel in security — created the architectural shapes that were adopted in residential as well as in other buildings. Caracteristic for these regional types are such places as the Old City of Jerusalem, Safed in Galilee, and many of the Arab villages. 1.02 Regionalism A regional architecture that has been 'exported' — this is the term used by the well-known architectural and art critic Prof. Alexander Tzonis, who identified this process as early as in the Roman period. This source of the residential architecture in Israel is the outcome of several 'waves' of settlers who reached the land since the middle of the 19th century, driven by religious and idealistic motives besides the need for more security; they retained a high degree of preserving traditions, language and most of all — building styles. Among the best examples we find the Templar settlers in Haifa, Jerusalem and smaller colonies, European Christian communities, the 'pioneers' of Zikhron-Yakob, Bat-Shlomo, Rosh Pina and even the immigrants from prewar Germany who were part of the creators and users of the International Style in Tel-Aviv and other cities. This part of the regionalistic architecture is the one that will mainly interest me in the Seminar, for a great part of it has its roots in Hungary and other Central and East European countries. 2. The Need to Preserve the built environment is based on two elements: 2.01 The historic educational values, 2.02 The functional need based on Serban Cantacuzino's observation that

... "buildings live much longer than the functions for which they were built", and this is true for residential functions as well. 3. The Israeli Model of preserving residential buildings attempts to resolve two problems: 3.01 Programatic need for extensive additions for the modern adaptation of the plan; 3.02 Recycling of residential buildings into public/commercial uses. 4. Conclusion The conclusion of the above is: 4.01 To deal with large residential patterns rather than with the single house; 4.02 To manage the restoration/rehabilitation project through an institutional body with minimal decision making given to private parties who have strong interests in maximizing their property through damaging the architectural product.